Unreachable
by Wild Angel Billie
Summary: COMPLETE, FINALLY! Rinoa travels to Esthar in an attempt to save her father's job. She keeps most of her secrets but what happens when she meets the President's son?
1. Chapter One

Ladies and gentlemen!! Here's my story!! It's a little... Hmmm.... Out there so lemme know if you guys aren't gettin' somethin'. Leave me a review and your e-mail and I'll get to you ASAP. I tried somethin' a little different than most fics so please don't flame me that bad. I love you all!!! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII... ::depressed sigh:: It ish my life dream though!! Along with having a Viper GTS-R so, I'll buy both one day!! Woo-hoo!! Oh yeah!! I don't own any of the cars in the story either... Another 'I wish' deal here. Enjoy!!  
  
Chapter One  
  
Scenery flew past outside of the closed window of Rinoa's car to her left. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and fumed," I can't believe this!! I can't believe it!! He's shippin' us off to Esthar as 'peace offerings' to show that he trusts President What's-His-Face!!" She looked over to her right at her black and tan Aussie shepard, Angelo, who was sitting in the passanger seat of Rinoa's Eclipse GS, looking at her with his head cocked to the side. "Well, at least it gets us out of that hell-hole we live in for the time bein'." She sighed and glared through her sunglasses through the windshield at the glamourous and mesmerising city that her car was sprinting towards. **What am I gettin' myself into....** she asked herself mentally with a sigh.  
  
Her father was General Caraway, the general of the Galbadia Army and the head of foreign policies. As far as Rinoa knew, her father had debated that Esthar's President Laguna Loire was too 'childish' to be trusted, but Rinoa had never met the man so she had no idea if this was true or not. The board objected harshly and threatened to impeach Caraway of his position if he didn't start trusting them... Now. Caraway resigned his objection abd sat through the rest of the meeting, trying to find a way of proving he trusted Esthar. He went home that night and approached Rinoa," Alright child, I've got something for you to do. You're going to Esthar because my job depends on it. Pack your things, you're leaving as soon as possible. In case someone asks you exactly why you're going, you're going because I don't trust Laguna Loire and I have to prove that I do. For the time bein' anyway. So I'm sending you, my most precious child." To push the importance of the subject, he grabbed her collar and glared straight into her eyes, straight into her soul," DON'T you screw this up for me, child."  
  
After what seemed an eternity, Rinoa found herself at the Presidential Palace in the heart of Esthar. She scanned the side of the sidewalk where a black Corvette, a yellow Supra, and a white truck, all of which looked new, were parked. She pulled in behind the white truck, put the car in park, turned off the engine, and got out of the car. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Angelo lept out of her open door and they walked from the street to thetrunk which Rinoa had opened from inside and closed the driver's side door. As soon as they reached the trunk, Angelo barked fiercely and the hair on his back bristled up like spikes and made him look twice his norm. She looked in the direction of which he was pointing to find a guard from the palace entrance approaching them.  
  
"Ma'am, this is Presidential Palace parking only. You need to move your vehicle," he said gruffly.  
  
Rinoa calmed Angelo, threaded her sunglasses through her hair and replied clamly," Sir, my name is Rinoa Heartilly. I almost positive that my father has made arrangements for me to be here."  
  
The guard snapped to attention," My apologies Ms. Heartilly!! Let me help you with your bags!!" He rushed over to the car and grabbed as many of the six bags as he could.  
  
Rinoa took the remaining two bags and followed the guard to the main gate which lead into a large building with an open, circular elevator. She looked at the guard with an amused smile, he was a sight to see with two bags under each arm and a stern look on his face. Angelo sat at Rinoa's side and the elevator wisked them away through the extremely large room. After a few minutes of silence with the amusin guard, Rinoa caught her first glimpse of the palace and let out a slight gasp.  
  
Hmmmm.... This chapter is short, sorry y'all. It's a teaser!! ;P Anyway, I'll update soon!! Peace out!! 


	2. Chapter Two

Hey y'all!! Chappy two ish here!!! This one should be a bit longer than the first one. I'm gonna try. Thanks to all my wonderful reviwers!! I love you all!! Oh yeah, I just kinda made up what the palace looks like. Sorry, I'm ignornt.  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own nothin'......  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"It's beautiful!!!" Rinoa said, looking at the awesome four story palace and all its glory. It was made of an opaque, pearl colored material that was foreign to her. Balconies and windows scattered the second and third floor and most were open, allowing the radiant sunlight to shine through. At the center of the first floor were a pair of large double doors that looked to be made of the same material that the palace in general was. It also held large windows that were clear of curtains or drapes. The fourth floor was pure glass and was clear, as though it was a sun room. Between the elevator and the front doors of the palace itself, was a lush lawn of green grass, dotted with multiple weeping willow trees that looked ancient and majestic. Rinoa had seen beautiful things, but this beat them all.  
  
"Ms. Heartilly, shall we?" asked the guard, gesturing towards the lawn and palace.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, yes," she said, her mouth gaping in awe. They began the 1,000 yard walk as Angelo ran onto the grass before them. They followed a stone pathway that led straight to the front entrance. Angelo barked happily and ran back and forth before Rinoa and the guard.  
  
After walking for what seemed sometime, they reached the front doors. They were made of the same material as the building and were just as stunning. The guard knocked on the door and it thudded loudly through Rinoa's ears.  
  
A maid, dressed in a black and white dress that was sleeveless and reached just below the knees, opened the door effortlessly," Yes?" She was a tall, pale 21 year old girl with long brown hair. Rinoa craned her neck to see the inside of the huge home but couldn't see past the maid for she was standing in the crack between the doors.  
  
"This is Ms. Heartilly from Deling, Mr. Loire is awaiting her arrival," the guard said in a formal tone.  
  
The woman's expression grew uneasy," The president is... Well he's.... He's umm... Well...." She looked over her shoulder back into the palace, turned back with a nod and sighed. " See for yourself."  
  
The doors swung open to reveal a beautiful white, spotless carpeted room with white walls that rose high into an arch to make room for the pair of grand staircases that curled around and led to an indoor balcony which Riona guessed led to a hallway but she wasn't sure. Between the stair cases, a few feet from Rinoa was a medium sized wooden door.  
  
" HELLO THERE, MS. HEARTILLY!!!!!" roared a grown man's voice form somewhere to Rinoa's left. It startled her and she jumped slightly and snapped her head to where the voice came from. Before she could do anything more, strong arms enclosed her in a tight bear hug. After a minute or two, the man stepped back," I'm President Loire!! You can call me Laguna!! It's a pleasure to meet you!"  
  
Rinoa laughed as the man began to shake her hand vigorusly," Nice to meet you too, Laguna!" She returned the handshake but not quite as vigorusly. ** Maybe the old man was right, maybe he is a little off. It's all good though, at least I should have SOME fun here.**  
  
Laguna turned quite suddenly to the guard and said," And you my good sir, may put those bags down right there for now and you may now return to your post."  
  
The guard set down the bags carefully, saluted, and turned to walk out the doors. Just then, a hyperactive Angelo decided to bolt through the door and jump the guard. "AHHHH!!!!" the guard yelped as he fell backwards with the dog licking his face.  
  
Rinoa gasped," ANGELO!!!" She rushed over and pulled her dog off with a slight bit of effort. "Angelo, no!"  
  
The guard spun around, fuming," This IS NOT a circus young lady!!Animals are strictly forbidden here in the palace!!!"  
  
"Hey, hey, hey now!! This doesn't look like your palace now does it?" said a deep voice from behind Rinoa.  
  
She turned to see three teens, about her age, standing there. She didn't know where they'd exactly caome from or who they were, but she was glad that they were there.  
  
"Yeah you big meanie!!!" raged the petite girl in the yellow dress. " Leave the doggie alone!!"  
  
The tallest and he was dressed similiar to a cowboy, spoke next. "Now, why don't you go on back to your post?" he said simply.  
  
She knew that they were standing up for her but she didn't catch all the words said. She was lost, lost in pale blue eyes that were looking straight back at hers.  
  
A/N: Well!! This one is a wee bit longer but I promise that this ain't all folks!! I'll update soon!! Peace out!!! 


	3. Chapter Three

Hey y'all!! I've got somethin' that could destroy the world, SEE!?!? -- shows to everyone chapter three-(Hey, that rhymes!!)  
  
Disclaimer: I hope these people know that this is the worst part of the whole story... --sigh--I don't own anything, aiight!?!?  
  
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"Squall Leonhart, get your lazy butt outta bed!!!!" Laguna roared, rolling Squall and his covers off of the medium sized bed in his room.  
  
He hit the ground hard, moaned, and from his spot lying on the floor, he stated simply," Dad..... It's 7:30 AM on a Saturday. PLEASE let this be worth it."  
  
"Oh come on!!! It'd be impolite for you to be asleep when our guest arrives!!" Laguna said excitedly.  
  
"Guest?" **Oh dear Lord... Not another victim..... Remind me to be nice to the poor guy...** "What guest?"  
  
"You'll have to find out when they arrive today!" Laguna replied happily. "Well, I guess I'll let you get dressed since your awake and everything!! See you at breakfast!" He closed the door and started down the hallway towards the kitchen.  
  
Squall groaned," Yeah, in about three hours." He pulled the covers that were on the floor beside him over his head and curled up in a ball, and was soon asleep peacefully again.  
  
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Squall walked into the kitchen a surprising hour and a half later, not the full three hours that he'd planned on.  
  
His life was one that almost all envied yet no one wanted. The press followed him everywhere, he'd even found a camera in the dashboard of his car one time. He'd been so furious he'd practically ripped the whole front off of the interior of the car and he had to have it repaired. He couldn't go anywhere without someone knowing who he was and that got rather annoying too. He couldn't stand being the President of Esthar's son, especially when the esteemed President was a two year old in a forty year old's body. This was simply an act though, an act that Laguna had put on since Raine, Squall's mother, left them. Not that Squall really cared or anything, he did sometimes wonder what it was like to have a mother but he never wondered aloud. Too many feeling were involved.  
  
"Hey Squall. You usually aren't down here until noon, what's the occasion, you as happy as dad about our guest?" Ellone said sarcastically, motioning towards Laguna who was jumping all over the over the place 'getting ready' when all he was doing was making more of a mess for the maids to clean up.  
  
Squall grinned," Lemme tell ya, I'm just so happy."  
  
Ellone laughed and continued to read her book. That was her escape from the madness of the palace.  
  
Laguna skipped happily down the hallway back towards the guest rooms and began to roar loudly about how 'unclean' the rooms were when they all knew very well the stayed spotless.  
  
He made his way to the refrigerator, his stomach growlng with hunger. At about 9:00 AM this was usual, except for the whole Laguna thing. A loud crash came from another room and Squall sighed, whoever was coming needed to get here. Now.  
  
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"Dad,I'm goin' to get somethin' outta the car!! I'll be back!" Squall yelled over his shoulder, heading out the front door and putting on his black leather, white fur neck lined jacket over his white shirt. The jacket, which matched his pants and was probably the only matching outfit he had besides tuxidoes for special occasions, was actually a small bit shorter than most jackets should've been (or are). He sprinted across the large lawn of green grass that crushed under the weight of every foot fall of his heavy boots. A few minutes later, Squall reached the elevator that led to the main entrance.  
  
He stood impatiently on the slow elevator, ignoring the scenary that captivated many others. **Why does this thing take so long?!!? Who designed this anyway!? They should be fired...** After a few minutes, the elevator reached the main gates and Squall looked up and down the small street before cautiously stepping off and out into the light of the morning. He scanned the street again nervously," Stupid paparzzi... They've made me paranoid now..." He continued to swear at the paparazzi as he walked over to a jet black Corvette that sat a few yards from him, parked on the curb. He opened the door and slid onto the driver's seat, rummaging through the center compartment.  
  
"Mr. Leonhart!! Mr. Leonhart!!" cried a female's voice from the street beside him. He reached for the door and slammed it closed loudly, his eye's never leaving the center compartment. Loud banging erupted from the passanger side window as well as the continued crying, but Squall recognized it this time," Mr. Leonhart!!!"  
  
He looked up at Selphie, her fists beating the glass mercilessly. Squall rolled down the window and she practically feel into the car. He couldn't help but grin," Hey Selphie, whatcha doin'?"  
  
She looked at him with a slight frown on her face and backed out of the car's window, fixed her dress and replied," You know that's the third time this week you've done that to me, Squall Leonhart!?"  
  
He shook his head and laughed," Sorry Selph, you're too easy and I can't pass the chance up." He shrugged as she burst into laughter. Irvine appeared behind her quitely and quite suddenly slung her over his shoulder. She squealed and began to pound on his back," IRVINE!!! Put me down!"  
  
"No can do! The pretty little lady shouldn't waste her energy," he said, looking at Squall he acted as though nothing was strange about him holding a screaming girl over his shoulder. "So, what's up?"  
  
Squall laughed, grabbed what he was after in the first place, his cellphone, put it in his jacket pocket, and closed up his car, "Just another ordinary day in the life of the president's son. Now, if it could actually BE normal, we'd be alright."  
  
Irvine laughed again and the trio made their way back towards the elevator and back towards the palace, just as an Esthar soldier walked out to his post beside the entrance.  
  
A/N: Well, there's another chapter to keep you guys occupied!! I got some people I wanna thank!!!  
  
Rinoa: Thanks again for the help! I'm lookin' for your story!  
  
Rinoa36: Here's the next chapter for you!  
  
Cherry6124: It'll be Selvine, I SWEAR IT! Don't worry! I'll stay true to that! :)  
  
Stormy Dreamer: You know what, that's a good question. I would like to know too! -sweatdrop-  
  
R&R everybody! Thanks again y'all! Roll on!! 


	4. Chapter Four

Hey everybody! It's me again! ::grins evily:: ANYWAY, I've brought along with me the next installment of my oh-so-something-or-another-story!! I'll shut up now....  
  
Disclaimer: I still dun't own nothin'. ::cries::  
  
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Squall, Irvine, and Selphie entered the palace and entered a wooden door between the two spiral stair cases. It opened up into nothing more than a full sized basketball court and a bar like area off to the far side.  
  
"So, where's Quistus today?" Irvine asked, having put Selphie down once they entered.  
  
"She had to work today. Tess took off and they swapped days," Squall explained, walking with them across the basketball court and to the 'pub'. He picked up a pool stick and tossed one to Irvine. He caught it and began to set up the pool balls as Selphie clicked on the big screen TV.  
  
"I'm bored!! We gotta think of somethin' to do!!" Selphie said as she sank into the large chair in front of the TV.  
  
"Dad says that we're having a guest come over. He won't say who though," Squall said helpfully as he lined up a shot and missed poorly.  
  
Irvine chuckled," Hey, maybe it's some hottie." He lined up his own shot and the pool ball rattled into the side pocket. Irvine smiled at Squall who rolled his eyes.  
  
A sharp pain ran through Irvine as Selphie hit him hard with the TV remote," And what does THAT mean!?"  
  
Irvine turned and looked at Selphie soothingly," Awww, babe. Don't worry, nobody can take your place."  
  
She turned back around, trying hard not to smile," Yeah, sure....."  
  
Irvine turned with a grin as Squall made another shot on the pool table and the ball sank into one of the side pockets. "I have no idea who it could be. Probably some rich, snob kid from who knows where."  
  
"Did your dad go bonkers yet or have we missed the fun?," Irvine joked, twirling the pool stick and looking over the pool table.  
  
Squall laughed," You can still catch the show, he's still goin' bonkers."  
  
Aloud bark came from the front room, followed by a young girl's cry. The three looked at each other and simultaneoulsy ran across the basketball court and out the door.  
  
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"This IS NOT a circus, young lady! Animals are strictly forbidden here in the palace!!" the guard that had been jumped on by the dog roared. Laguna stood to the side, half laughing, half stunned and said nothing. Neither of the three had a chance to see the girl who'd yelled.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey now!! This doesn't look like your palace now does it?"Squall said to the guard. The guard turned, allowing them to see her. Squall and the girl locked eyes and nothing else seemed to exsist. Selphie and Irvine came also to his defense but he didn't hear what they said although he greatly appreciated it.  
  
**She's... Wow.... I... Say something!!** The guard left, he wasn't very happy but that didn't seem to matter. "Sorry 'bout that, they get mad like that sometimes," Squall told her.  
  
The dog at her side panted and looked up at her," I'm really sorry, I didn't know that you didn't allow dogs here." They had yet to break eye contact.  
  
"We do," Laguna said, breaking into the conversation. All eyes turned to him, including a maid that Squall had not there noticed before. "Miss Heartilly, this is my son, Squall, his friend, Irvine and Irvine's girlfriend and Squall's friend, Selphie."  
  
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Rinoa and this," she nodded towards the brown and black do gthat sat at her side," Is the notorius dog, Angelo. He's wanted in four cities you know."  
  
The three laughed," For what, stealing dog treats?" Selphie asked.  
  
Rinoa nodded and smiled,"Yeah." She looked back to Squall.  
  
Squall smiled and inside, Rinoa almost died. **Wow, maybe this won't be so bad!! They don't seem all too bad.**  
  
"Squall, why don't you show our guest to her room. She'll be stayin' with us for a while," Laguna said rather calmly.  
  
"She's our guest?!" Squall said a little more enthusiastically than he would've liked.  
  
Laguna nodded and laughed," Duh!"  
  
Selphie walked over to her and picked up one of her bags," Come on! Let's get you settled in! You're gonna LOVE it here!!!"  
  
Rinoa picked up another bag," I'm sure I will. This place is so big!!"  
  
Irvine picked up two of the bags while Squall picked up the remaining two," How long are you stayin'?"  
  
They began up the staricase and left down the hall," I don't know. My father said,' Think of it as a long vacation.' And who knows how long that could be!"  
  
"Then you should have plenty of time to learn your way around the palace. It's easy once you get the hang of it," Squall said.  
  
"Easier said than done!! The first time I came here I got lost for an hour and no one could find me! Finally I came across a maid who kindly told me where I was," Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"Oh come on Selph!! You were lost for twenty minutes and you know that I was the one that found you!" Irvine said.  
  
"She's lyin'. Don't listen to her," Squall whispered to Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa laughed as they came to a stop in front of a door a ways down the hall," This is your room." Selphie opened the door and revealed the beautiful room before her. It had a large bed, the headbard against the wall, the foot protruding into the center of the large room. A large TV sat in a beautiful armour at the end of the bed and the open doors on it revealed large speakers, a DVD player, and a 6 disc changer stereo qith massive speakers. Rinoa entered the room in shock. The carpet was soft, as far as she could tell, and the room was a light blue color, her favorite. The comforter on the bed matched perfectly as did all of the furniture. "Wow, I don't really know what to say."  
  
The three enetered behind her and sat her things down on her bed," We'll let you get settled in. How 'bout we go see the city tonight?" Squall proposed.  
  
Rinoa turned to face them," Sure! I'm in! About what time?"  
  
Irvine and Selphie looked at Squall who replied," About 6:30. That's dusk around here. The city looks best at night."  
  
"I'll be ready! Where do I meet you guys?" she asked.  
  
"Outside where you came in, did you see the three cars out front?" Squall asked.  
  
"Oh yeah!! There! Okay, got it! See you guys at 6:30!" she called after them as they left.  
  
As soon as Squall shut the door and they were out of ear shot Irvine asked," Squall, what about Quistus, your girlfriend?"  
  
For a minute the name sounded so foreign, then it hit thim like a ton of bricks in the face. "Oh shit...."  
  
A/N: Muahahahahaha!!! I have updated!! To all my loverly reviewers.....  
  
Evan'sRinoa: Sorry I haven't e-amiled!! Server's been down.... ::kills the computer:: I'm still lookin' out for your story!!  
  
Bembem: I LOVE cars! The faster the better. Don't worry, it's Squinoa, I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks!!  
  
Thanks everbuddy! R&R! Peace! I'm outta here! 


	5. Chapter Five

Here's chapter five! Sorry it took me so long to update... - -' Heh... A lot's been goin' on. Forgive me oh great reviewers, PEAS!!!! ......  
  
Disclaimer: I ish still poor. Nothing belongs to me. ::sigh::  
  
Rinoa stood outside of her new bedroom door and looked both ways down the hall. **Okay... Which way looks the most familiar?** She looked down each one again and when it all looked the same again she frowned. **Oh boy, I'm lost. Geez, where's that guy, Squall? He came in handy last time I was in trouble, where is he now?** She glanced her watch the hung dantily on her wrist by a loose silver, flower chain. The empty, pale lavender face read 6:15. She gave an annoyed grunt and looked both ways again.  
  
"Quistus, we're goin' on a trip around the city. Are you gonna be able to come?" the all-to familiar hero voice echoed down the hall to Rinoa, giving her the direction to go. She headed left and soon found herself at the pair of staircases with Squall, Irvine, and Selphie standing at the front door. "Who? Me, Irvine, Selphie, and the guest that is staying with us for a while... Her name's Rinoa."  
  
Irvine was the first to spot Rinoa at the top of the stairs and nodded to her, motioning for her to come down. "Oh, okay. Well, we'll see you later. Bye, babe."  
  
**Aww... It seems Cutie's gotta girlfriend... And I have Seifer so we'll leave it at that.** She reminded herself firmly. "Hey y'all. We ready?" she smiled and stood next to Selphie.  
  
"Woo-hoo!! Let's go!" Selphie bounced up and down very happily and made a dash for the front door. Irvine followed behind, Rinoa, then Squall. They got into a horizontal line once they were on the lawn and Selphie began chattering away," So Rinoa! What's it like being the daughter of the general of the bestest army in the world?!"  
  
**Honestly? Hell. You've never seen more scars and bruises in your LIFE. He loves to hit me but nobody believes the lowly peasant daughter. Assholes.** "Nothing out of the ordinary. Yeah, there are different places I get to go," **WITH my dad staring over my shoulder the whole time** "But it's really nothing much." **Hmph. If only they knew.**  
  
"Oh come on, there has to be something special about being his daughter," Squall pursued as if he knew that her answer wasn't totally true.  
  
She started to hang her head but instead turned it into her just flipping her hair out of the way," Nope. Not really, I've got nice cars if that counts..." **A few nice cars.... My RX-8, the Viper...**  
  
"Cars count!! They DEFINITELY count!" Selphie said, bouncing up and down again.  
  
"I have a blue Viper with two silver racing stripes down the back and a big Viper head on the left rear, and I have my Eclipse GS here with me, and my RX-8 is my baby. It only goes the best places," Rinoa said, imagining them clear in her mind. From the leather seats to the roaring engines, they seemed welcoming. An escape.  
  
"What about your social life? Friends, boyfirends?" Selphie asked as they boarded the elevator.  
  
"Yeah, who's the lucky guy?" Irvine asked, earning a sharp punch in the arm from Selphie. He bent down and kissed Selphie's cheek. "I'm Selphie's lucky guy."  
  
Selphie tried to hide a smile but it escaped and she rolled her eyes," That's was sooo corny, I have to love you."  
  
"I know, you can't help it."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Rinoa and Squall laughed at the pair as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom by the cars.  
  
"Who's car do we wanna take?" Irvine asked.  
  
"It doesn't matter. Mine's faster though," Squall said, gazing at his Corvette.  
  
"You wanna bet?" Rinoa looked over at him, her eyebrow arched.  
  
Irvine shook his head," I dunno Rinoa. That 'Vette's fast."  
  
Rinoa shrugged and looked back at her car just as Squall looked at her," I know one way to find out..." She grinned and wished that she hadn't left Angelo with Mr. Loire. He'd insited, but this was her dog's most favorite thing in the world. She nodded.  
  
"Alright. You're on," Squall said, taking his keys out of his pocket and smiling.  
  
"Man, are you sure you two wanna do this?" Irvine called to the two.  
  
The two turned in unison and replied," Yeah."  
  
Selphie and Irvine looked at one another and shook their heads," She's as competitive as HE is!" Selphie said.  
  
"Yeah well. Whatcha gonna do?" Irvine shrugged.  
  
Selphie smiled and ran over to Rinoa," Hey, can I ride with you?!"  
  
Irvine walked over to the passanger side of the Corvette and opened the door causally as Squall got into the driver's side door.  
  
"Yeah, hop in Selphie," she replied, unlocking the car and entering it herself.  
  
She started the engine and pulled up next to Squall with her window rolled down. "Where to?"  
  
He nodded towards a red light that was just at the end of the street and told her through the open window," We'll get there and wait through one cycle of the light. On the second green, go. We'll race the two mile straightaway. Loser pays for dinner."  
  
Rinoa nodded and rolled up her window. Selphie decided to ask that faithful question," You DO know what you're doin' right?"  
  
Rinoa grinned and looked over at her," OF course, don't worry! You DID bring your crucifix, right?" She joked.  
  
Selphie took the joke seriously and turned a few shades pale. Rinoa laughed. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"  
  
Rinoa shook her head," Nah, you'll be alright."  
  
The two cars pulled up next to each other and their engines revved. The light went green once and as agreed, neither car moved. It turned yellow, then red again. All of Rinoa's being stared at the red light, hanging above her. Squall was poised in much the same position, he foot ready to slam onto the acclerator.  
  
The light flashed green but none of them saw it for long. Both cars took off in the blink of an eye, Squall pulling away at first but Rinoa not far behind. Squall shifted gears and Rinoa's car sped forward past him.  
  
"I don't think so," Squall said, shaking his head. Irvine got worried when he got like this. The Corvette roared against Rinoa's car and sped up to her, the cars were door-to-door. Selphie turned and waved out Rinoa's window as the Eclipse pulled ahead again. Irinve frowned at her and she read Squall's lips as he swore to himself. She couldn't help but laugh. Rinoa kept her grinning gaze forward, refusing to lose. She glaced in her reaar view mirror and her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "Uh oh!!"  
  
A/N: What could it be?!?!?! Muahahahahaha.... I don't know yet. R&R, it is much appreciated. Thanks to:  
  
Evan' sRinoa- Hey, e-mail me if you get the chance. I'll help you out.  
  
bembem- Yeah, they're goin' to get along just fine.... ::grins evily::  
  
Peace out y'all!! 


	6. Chapter Six

Wassup y'all!??!? Nuttin' much here, I hope everyone is doin' okay and I'm REALLY sorry I haven't updated in forever.... I really am! I have had a lot of homework... A LOT. - -' Anyway, here's the next installment in this whatcha-ma-call-it.... STORY of mine.... Enjoy!!  
  
Squall smiled and darted down a side road and looked back in his rear view mirror. Irvine clinged to the side door with a wide grin on his face," You're gonna get your ass kicked.... The cops are here!!"  
  
"This is just the beginning! Let's see if she can outrun them," Squall said looking straight again, the grin stil on his face. Rinoa's Eclipse stayed close behind his car and the Esthar military wasn't far behind her.  
  
----- In the other car-----  
  
"Crap! Esthar police!!!" Selphie squealed.  
  
"It's a test. I can't believe that little uptight twit is testing me!!" Rinoa raged, taking out her rage on her steering wheel. She beat it furiously and followed Squall closely down a side road.  
  
"How is he testing you?!" Selphie said, turned in her seat looking at the police car.  
  
"He wants to see if I'll run..... Watch this!" Rinoa raged again.  
  
The car accelerated and caught up to the Corvette. Squall looked over grinning and Rinoa simply nodded as she swerved towards his car. He swerved in return away to avoid being hit and she could read his lips when he looked back over at her. He attempted to swerve back but Rinoa slammed on brakes and came to a complete halt while Squall's car spun around as he tried to regain control. The police car blew by, unable to stop as quickly, Squall's tires squealed loudly as he slammed down on the brakes.  
  
Rinoa looked over at a wide eyed Selphie. "WOOO-HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed unexpectedly. Rinoa jumped slightly at the outburst and laughed. Squall's car had come to rest facing away from her's about 50 yards away. "EAT THAT BOYS!!!" She put the car in neutral and back into drive, both waving as they blew past the boys. Irvine and Squall both showed their happiness by a one-fingered gesture.  
  
----- Back to Squall and Irvine-----  
  
Squall's car came to a rest facing away from Rinoa's. He was slightly shaken up and Irvine seemed the same way. The pair looked at each other and then out the window to see the girl's waving to them, they showed their happiness....  
  
"I can't believe a chick can do that....." Squall mumbled as he shitfted gears in his car and took off behind Rinoa only to find that the police had called back-up and had caught Rinoa before she had gotten very far. Squall and Irvine looked around for a way around them but found lights in their own rear view mirror.  
  
"Don't underestimate the power of a woman," Irvine said in a warning tone, as Squall pulled to the side of the road.  
  
"Wow. What good advice! Could you have POSSIBLY told me that BEFORE we started all this!??!" Squall roared.  
  
Irvine scratched his head and chuckled," I thought you knew!!"  
  
Squall pulled back as if he were going to kill his friend but the Esthar officer walked up first," License and registration, please."  
  
Squall pulled out his license and reached into his glove compartment for his registration. After handing both of them to the officer, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm dead....." he muttered to Irvine who laughed and shook his head.  
  
"Let me go call this in, Mr. Leonhart," The officer said, walking away momentarily then returning. " THE Squall Leonhart? You're THE Squall Leonhart?!"  
  
In despiration that the name would pull some weight, Squall replied," Yes, sir. Laguna Loire's son."  
  
The officer narrowed his eyes," You're father costed my wife her job. It's an honor to write YOUR ticket....." He stormed off to his car.  
  
Squall felt like he could've died right then and there. Irvine, on the other hand, was clutching his stomach in silent laughter. Squall shook his head and sighed deeply, he looked at Rinoa's car in front of him and saw that the officer was leaning against the window, talking. "She wouldn't.... Would she?"  
  
Irvine wiped tears from his eyes and laughed again," What?"  
  
Squall pointed out the window," Look. Are they tryin' to get out of a ticket by ticket by flirting with the officer?"  
  
Irvine strained to see," No, are they?"  
  
The officer walked back over to find the two glaring through the windshield at the car before them," AHEM!!" The pair, startled, looked back at the officer. "Your ticket, Mr. Leonhart."  
  
Squall took it and groaned," 350 gil.... I have a feeling I'll be paying that...."  
  
"Good day, boys," the officer said, walking away. The officer at the girl's car walked away too but stepped back as if they had called him. He shook his head and smiled, then walked back to the car. Squall pulled up next to them and rolled down his window," Did you just....?"  
  
"Get out of a ticket...." they frowned. "No.... But we did get hit on by the UGLIEST cop in Esthar....." Rinoa made a face that made the suggestion she wanted to throw-up.  
  
" Yeah!! The ugliest cop in the WORLD!!!!!" Selphie whined.  
  
Squall laughed, "Yeah, we got a ticket too.... From a guy who's wife lost her job because of job cuts."  
  
The four laughed and Squall somehow found Rinoa's eyes again and smiled," Not bad, Heartilly." "Not so bad yourself, Leonhart."  
  
The two pulled out and dedcided it'd be best if they went back to the palace.  
  
A/N: Dun dun dun!!! It ish complete!!!! R&R! Peace! 


	7. Chapter Seven

I'm sooo sorry you guys!! I know everyone hates me now but from here on out I vow to try my hardest to update ASAP. Okay, so, I'll quit babbling and write the fic.  
  
Disclaimer: Hey, I don't own FF8. Rub it in my face why don't ya?! ::cries::  
  
After the speeding incident, the four decided to pick up something to eat at a restaurant. Both cars came to a halt one behind the other in front of the small café that sat on the peaceful street. Squall and Irvine waited for Rinoa and Selphie just outside the entrance. Once they walked in, a male waiter who was holding some menus immediately greeted them.  
  
"Hi! Welcome to Café of Esthar! Table for four?" he said, WAY too cheerily.  
  
"If you don't mind, please," Rinoa said nicely.  
  
The waiter nodded and turned, leading them across the café to a window booth that had a breath taking view of the city of Esthar. The waiter placed the menus on the table and Selphie and Rinoa sat against the window, with Irvine next to Selphie and Squall next to Rinoa. Rinoa simply gazed out of the window, in awe of the view. All of the lights were beautiful. Squall was right; the city did look its best at dusk and night.  
  
The waiter looked at her, amused," She visiting?"  
  
Squall looked at her and back at him," Yeah. Obvious, isn't it?"  
  
The waiter laughed and took Selphie and Irvine's order, then turned back to Squall," You her boyfriend or somethin'?"  
  
Squall was taken back by the statement," Oh, no. No, no..."  
  
Rinoa had obviously not been paying attention because she turned back smiling and telling Selphie how wonderful the view was and that there were no views like it in Galbadia.  
  
After Rinoa and Selphie ordered and the waiter disappeared into the kitchen with their orders, there was a small silence.  
  
"So, what is the most interesting thing about this city?" Rinoa asked, thinking of anything to break the silence.  
  
"The shops!!" Selphie said, and then dove head first into a long ramble of all the different shops, until the waiter reappeared and gave her her drink, which she began to drink immediately after thanking the waiter. Rinoa sighed with relief quietly and the waiter took their orders. It was then that she took the chance to look Squall over. He was fit and he looked really strong. His hair was a soft brown and looked so soft Rinoa had to fight the temptation to run her hands through it. **WHOA girl!! You've got one back home, 'member?! Come ON!! You're here to save that man back home's job, THAT'S ALL.** Then she saw his eyes. **Those eyes... They're so beautiful... It's like he looks straight into your soul and knows everything about you... Wow...** She mentally slapped herself and looked away. She intently concentrated out the window until Squall's elbow nudged her gently in the side.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Rinoa looked at him, then the waiter who was in turn looking at her. "Oh umm... I'll have a salad."  
  
The waiter nodded and asked her a few questions she didn't really catch, just kind of answered. **I need to call Seifer. Now. This is nonsense... Totally and completely.**  
  
The waiter left again and Irvine looked at Squall," Hey, where's your girl man?"  
  
Squall's head snapped to him, he almost asked who on earth he was talking about but his brain answered first," She had to work."  
  
"What's she like?" Rinoa asked curiously. Squall thought for a minute and answered," She's Quistis. That's the only way I can explain her. I've known her my whole life and a year ago we decided to give a relationship that was a little more a try and we've been together since."  
  
**Can't compete with that. Well, here goes my story.** "I know how that goes. My boyfriend, Seifer Almay, has always been a friend... Well, I guess that's the right word... Since I was about, 10 years old. My father was the only person he'd let me see, really. He didn't want me hanging with the wrong group of kids or anything, I guess."  
  
**I knew she had to have a boyfriend... Don't get attached, man. You are and you need to stop it now...** "Is he nice?" **Smooth...** Squall kicked himself mentally.  
  
"OF COURSE!! I've known her as long as you have and I don't think she'd date anyone mean... Hey, like you Squall!!" Selphie joked.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes," Yeah, I'm just a big meanie, aren't I Selphie?"  
  
"Exactly!!" Selphie crossed her arms and nodded.  
  
Rinoa opened her mouth to disagree but closed it quickly.**What makes you.. Shut up, Rinoa.** The waiter came back with their food and the rest of their evening was laughter and as many details of Rinoa's life as she would share, which wasn't much.  
  
----- Back at the palace-----  
  
When they arrived back at the palace, Irvine and Selphie left for home, whether it was the same one or their own, Squall wasn't sure.  
  
Rinoa and Squall walked to the large elevator and went back to the palace.  
  
"So, what's it really like being the General's daughter?" Squall asked.  
  
Rinoa sighed," A lot like being the President's son. You got a lot of places and people always know who you are."  
  
Squall stopped and looked Rinoa straight in the eyes. "There's more. I know there is. Perfect lives always are anything but. I know."  
  
Rinoa was at a loss for words. She was lost in those eyes. He knew she was lying and he wanted her to talk to him. She wanted to. She'd never wanted to talk to anyone about her screwed up life before but she wanted to tell him. Tell him everything. To trust him and let him tell her about his troubles. To trust her. **I've only known you for a few hours. What's going on?** "That's all there is to it... Parties and people. Sorry I don't have more to tell you."  
  
**I know you're lying. What's so big that you have to hide it from me? Well, you'll be here a while. I hope you tell me, I want to know you. I can tell already. You're something else.** "Okay, sorry..." he muttered and turned away, walking again. The rest of the walk was silent. They entered the palace and walked up the stairs. Squall walked with Rinoa to her room," D'you want anybody to wake you up at a certain time?"  
  
"No, will anybody wake me up at a certain time?" she asked, stopping and leaning her back against the door, avoiding his eyes. She couldn't quite catch why she was avoiding his eyes but she couldn't. She couldn't look at him.  
  
"There isn't anything planned for tomorrow. Early at least, who knows what can pop up though?" he shrugged.  
  
"We actually get to sleep late?" she was surprised, she never slept late at home.  
  
"Yeah," he chuckled," My room is down the hallway on the right, third door on your left if you need anything."  
  
"Thanks, Squall," she smiled and nodded. "Good night."  
  
"Yeah, good night," he said and left. As he left, he smiled to himself. **Wow... She's... No, think about Quistis, Squall. Get some sleep.**  
  
He walked into his room and laid on his bed in the dark.  
  
Welp, here ya are. I'm finished with this one and onto the next one!! R&R y'all... PEAS!??!!??! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Here's the next chapter! I'm on a roll y'all!! :: hums 'Can't Touch This' and dances around :: Yes, I'm psycho. Weird...and crazy... Unbelievable? Believe it!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything... But I will one day.. :: cackles all evil like in her padded room and straight jacket :: o.O :: is weird ::  
  
Rinoa sighed and sat down on the bed in her guest room. A cold tone filled the air and Rinoa opened a drawer in the nightstand by the head of her bed. A small silver cell phone vibrated feverishly as she flipped it open and pressed it to her ear. "Yeah?"  
  
"Hey, baby. What's up? How are you?"  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes and smiled," Hey Seifer. The sky's up and nothing is goin' on here. What about there?"  
  
"Oh, nothin'... Same old, same old. You know how it is," he replied coolly.  
  
"Yeah. I know..." she said.  
  
"So, um, Rinoa, I was thinkin'... I've heard that the President's son is, well..." his voice trailed off and she took the hint.  
  
"Seifer... You get so jealous so easy..." the smile fell from her face and she rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm not jealous... I just..."  
  
"Don't trust me, is that it?" she offered somewhat harshly.  
  
"Actually... Yes. And I don't think that it's right that I can't trust you when you're gone."  
  
She scoffed," Seifer, HAVE I ONCE cheated on you!? YOU'RE the one that cheated on ME!! THAT'S probably what you're doin' right n-"  
  
"Baby, come on, you know I love you..." he trailed off as if distracted and Rinoa heard him whisper to someone.  
  
"I hear you, Seifer. That's it!! It's over!! FOR GOOD! I'm not takin' you back!" and with that, Rinoa hung up. She felt like throwing the dammed cell phone against the wall but it rang again. She flipped it open and hissed," What?"  
  
"Don't talk to me in that tone..."  
  
This was the last thing Rinoa needed to hear," Oh daddy dearest, it's you! I'm so glad you called!!" She said this with a low, threatening tone.  
  
"Cut the crap, Rinoa. Has Laguna said anything about me?" the general hissed.  
  
"Yeah, dad it's good to hear from you too. I'm so glad you called..." she spat. "No, he hasn't. He doesn't care about you. Wow, that's ironic. Neither do I!!"  
  
"Dammit, Rinoa... I want you to know that you're staying there until I get back Laguna's trust. No matter how long that takes..." he warned.  
  
"Dear me, whatever shall I do! I may have to stay away from you for a whole week, maybe more? What WILL I do?" she said in a dramatic tone, throwing herself onto her bed in a dramatic sense.  
  
"Rinoa, get back that trust. Do anything... If it means that you have to kill someone, do it. I don't care!!"  
  
"So you can let me rot in jail, thanks but no thanks!!!"  
  
"Rinoa, just do it!!" with that the phone clicked off and Rinoa threw her phone against the wall. It hit hard and fell to the ground in two pieces. She sat up on her bed and ran her hands through her hair as tears threatened to fall.  
  
"Are you okay?" a voice from the door filled the darkness of her room and Rinoa jumped at the sight of Squall standing in her door way, silhouetted by the hallway's light.  
  
She quickly brushed her cheeks to make sure no tears had fallen," Yeah, I'm fine... My boyfriend just called..." Her head fell as the realization set in that her and Seifer were over.  
  
Squall remained in the doorway and nodded understandingly," Oh... Are you two..?"  
  
Rinoa shook her head," Together? No... Not anymore..." She looked up at him and smiled," You can come in. I don't bite if you don't."  
  
Squall stepped in and closed the door behind him as Rinoa turned on the lamp on the nightstand. "So, what happened?" He sat on the bed next to her.  
  
She sighed and swallowed hard, forcing back tears," He doesn't trust me when he's the one sleeping around while I'm gone."  
  
Squall shook his head with a frown on his face," First you're forced to stay here in the most insane place on the earth, then your boyfriend breaks up with you... What's next?"  
  
Rinoa laughed," My father calls and says that I have to stay here FOREVER." **I wouldn't mind that actually...**  
  
Squall laughed and shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead," Dear God, I'm sorry.."  
  
Rinoa leaned against him and laughed hysterically," Oh come on, it could be worse."  
  
Squall cocked an eyebrow," Oh really, how so?" "Your dad could be my dad."  
  
"Why would that be a bad thing? Is your dad Satan or something?"  
  
"Yep, and I'm his spawn," she extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."  
  
He took her hand and their eyes met again. He shook it slowly, her soft, warm skin felt so good, so right against his skin it was uncanny. Neither wanted to let go. Without thinking, Squall laced his fingers in hers and smiled to himself when she didn't pull away.  
  
**I haven't known you long at all... Why do I feel like I've known you forever?** the thought passed through two minds at once, unknown to the other. Neither spoke; for fear that the moment would be broken. Before either one could think, they're lips were pressed together tightly. After a moment, Squall pulled away.  
  
"I.. Um..." Rinoa cut him off by pressing her lips to his again.  
  
This time neither pulled away....  
  
A/N: Okay, so reviews!! Thanks to all my loverly reviewers thus far!! :: sniffles ::  
  
Remote mine: Yes, what IS Squall gonna do about Quistis? O.o  
  
Kar: As long as people review, I'll update!!  
  
Korean dreamer  
  
PrettyLikeDrugs: (I like that name...) Yes, I agree. There does need to be more Squinoa action!!  
  
Evan' sRinoa: PLEASE forgive meh!!! I've been so caught up! E-mail meh when you get a chance at naomidelacroix@wmconnect.com.  
  
R&R y'all!!  
  
\ 


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: Hello all!! Sorry it's taken me so long review... Please don't hate me!! My life has been SO hectic lately you'd never believe it. Welp, anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do w/ FF8. :: big surprise there huh? ::

He clicked his silver cellphone closed and sighed.  
  
"...Well?"  
  
He looked at the cellphone with a devilish grin and chuckled cruely," She says that it's not fair that I don't trust her and that I'm the one that cheats, not her. Where she got THAT idea, I'll never know..." Seifer turned his head slightly to see the blonde that was resting her head on his shoulder out of the corner of his eye.  
  
She smiled back at him," Me neither." They laughed together in a mocking manner. "Poor girl..."  
  
Seifer smiled and sat his cellphone on his nightstand that looked cheap and tacky, just like most hotel furniture. "Do you think he suspects anything?"  
  
The blue eyed blonde shook her head," Not a clue."  
  
"Quistus, you are gonna talk to him tomorrow, right?"  
  
"Of course, Seifer. I told you I would."  
  
They smiled and kissed, laying back together on the bed. Seifer hoped no one was in the rooms around their's.

----------

He had gone back to his room and stumbled like a drunken idiot the whole way. He couldn't believe that he had done that to Quistus... But it felt right. There was something about Rinoa that he just couldn't put his finger on that was so different from every other girl he had ever dated. He finally collapsed onto his bed in his dark room with a rather large and weary sigh. He still couldn't believe he had kissed Rinoa but more so, she kissed him back. He realized that he was smiling. Well, good job Squall. You've officially screwed things up to the point of no return. Gold medal on that one!! His mind was a whirlwind but finally, sleep caught up to him.  
  
Just down the hall, Rinoa was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. He's got a girlfriend... But he kissed me first.... That makes NO sense.... Tomorrow he'll apologize and things'll never be the same way they were again... I might as well go ahead and talk to Laguna about Caraway so I can go before things get to... Personal. The thought of leaving made her face fall and tears threaten to escape her eyes. But I don't wanna go home.... She quickly put on a stern face and decided she wouldn't do this. She would go home and forget all about Esthar... Irvine, Selphie, Laguna, and Squall. She closed her eyes and feel into a shallow sleep.

----------

Squall was up earlier than usual, a lot earlier. He was in the kitchen when Rinoa came in, unable to break her habit of waking up early. She glanced at the clock which showed her it was 5:30.  
  
"You're up early."  
  
His voice startled her and rosed her from her thoughts. "You usually get up this early?"  
  
"Nope, I've never seen a sunrise in my life and as you can see," he made a gesture to the pair of glass doors that showed a peaceful garden that was blanketed by dew and a coming twilight's sky. "I'll see one this morning. This house was built like this just so you could see the sunrise over the city." He was standing at the stove turned away from her, wearing a pair of loose fitting long cotton pants and a black muscle shirt to match. She was wearing a grey hoodie sweatshirt that was too large for her and a pair of long grey sweatpants. Her hair was back in a loose ponytail and to her it was a complete disaster but when Squall stole a glance of her when she turned to look out the doors, he thought she'd never looked better. "You want some breakfast?"  
  
She shook her head," Nah, I don't eat breakfast."  
  
Squall emptied his scrambled eggs onto his plate that also had bacon and toast on it and sat down at the small table, facing the doors so he could see the sunrise. Rinoa gingerly put a hand on the door handle as if it would break and opened it slowly. Squall watched her, wondering what she was doing. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her, walking a ways out onto the wet grass towards a small bench that sat kind of out of place, right in the middle of the garden. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest and wrpped her arms around them. She didn't hear the door open behind her, or the footsteps that came up behind her. She didn't realize he was there until he sat down next to her and even then, she didn't really acknowledge him. She simply stated," They look better outside. It makes you feel closer."  
  
After a short silence, Squall spoke up,"About last night-"  
  
"I'm sorry..." the words surprised Rinoa as they fell out of her mouth. They were barely over a whisper. "I shouldn't have done that. You have a girlfriend and from what I can tell, you two are close."  
  
At the last line he almost laughed out loud. He had told her they had known each other for years but they were never close. They barely hugged or anything. He couldn't recall a time that they had kissed except for on the cheek. They had never done anything serious. Ever. She never took they're relationship seriously but in a sense, neither did he. They were just close friends that called themselves a couple. Nothing more really. Now, they definately weren't. "Actually, I called Quistus this morning. I wasn't going to-"  
  
Rinoa shook her head and looked at him wide eyed," You didn't break up with her, did you?! No! Don't do that!"  
  
Taken back by her sudden outburst, he shook his head," Why?"  
  
"Because it would never work! I live in Galbadia you live here in Esthar! Your family is so nice and your father is so great and everything and Caraway is just... It'd never work!"  
  
Squall chuckled quietly," Can I finish now?"  
  
Rinoa lowered her head and blushed furiously," I'm sorry."  
  
"I called her this morning to talk to her. Whether I was going to break up with her or not, I didn't know and I was going to judge on how the phone conversation went on what I was going to do. But before I could even give it a thought, she told me that she had found someone else and basically that she didn't need me anymore in not so many words."  
  
Rinoa looked at him," I'm sorry... I just.. I jumped to conclusions. Now I feel stupid.." She laughed lightly and it made Squall smile to see her smile.  
  
His hand almost automatically made a move to touch her cheek and comfort her but he held back, he was afraid it'd scare her away. "Don't feel stupid. Trust me I've done a lot stupider things than that."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Well, let's take yesterday for instance.." just the mention of yesterday set Rinoa off in giggle fits. "Yesterday, I got a speeding ticket worth a good 350 gil because a certain someone with the name that rhymes with Rinoa Heartilly, decided to race the almighty ME. Now, isn't that just the smartest thing in the world?" Rinoa was thrown into hysterics and hit Squall playfully in the arm.  
  
"Hey, you took me up on it!! It's half your fault!"  
  
Squall looked at her in shock," Oh so I'm just supposed to tell you,'No, I can't race.' and let you win by default!? I don't think so!" He cocked his head back in laughter and Rinoa quit laughing just long enough to check the horizon.  
  
"Squall, look!"  
  
He looked towards her gaze and saw the most beautiful sunrise that Esthar had seen in a hundred years.

Muahahahahaha..... Sorry about the delay again!! R&R!! I'll update sooner, promise!!! I'm gonna be good!! Hope you guys like it and I would like to thank all my wonderful reviewers!!!  
  
Dark Angels  
  
lady-rinoa  
  
kristy  
  
Peace y'all!!


	10. Chatper Ten

:: confetti falls around her and jumps up and down wearing a paty hat :: Ten chapters!!! YAYNESS!!! I'm so proud of myself... :: don't mind, is weird ::  
  
Disclaimer: I own FF8... Haha Squaresoft... WHAT NOW?!? HUH?? No, I still don't own it.  
  
Ellone stood at the kitchen door looking out at the two figures laughing and talking on the bench in the garden. _Well Squall. You did have to fall for the hard to get one didn't you?_ She patted Angelo whom was sitting, panting next to her on the head," Sorry guy, I can't let you ruin the moment." She looked up at the clock that read 8:45 and wondered how long they had been out there,catching a glance of a plate full of cold food on the table. She sighed and took another sip of her coffee. She knew it was unusual for her brother to be up this early but it looked like they had been out there a while which meant he had been up earlier than this. That scared her.  
  
A big yawn came from the hallway and Laguna stepped into the kitchen wearing blue cotton pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Ellone couldn't help but laugh," Nice shoes, Dad."  
  
Laguna looked down and smiled," They match my eyes."  
  
Ellone laughed as Laguna walked over to see what she was looking at," You know the real reason she's here, don't you?"  
  
Ellone shook her head to her father's question," You never told us."  
  
Laguna sighed and scratched the back of his head, a habit that was years and years old," Well, her father is General Caraway, General of the Galbadian Army and the one who is in charge of foriegn policies. At a meeting a few days back, someone made the comment of putting me in charge of a big, important project. He objected and said that I was too childish to be trusted. Where he got that idea, I'll never know..." Ellone laughed, she loved the way her father made the best of even the ugliest situations. "But they said that if he didn't start to trust me quick, fast, and in a hurry, he would be removed from his position."  
  
Ellone nodded," D'you think she's just being nice to him so you'll like her?"  
  
The two on the bench had begun another laughing fit, so much so that Rinoa fell off the bench, pulling Squall with her. They landed together and began laughing again.  
  
"No. If anything, it's to spite him. They hate each other. He blames her for her mother's death and she blames him for it. The bruises on her arms and back aren't from accidents..." Laguna's face fell and Ellone couldn't help but notice that he looked so sad. He shook his head," But no one believes her. Caraway is too high and mighty."  
  
Ellone shook her head and took another sip of her coffee," Is there anything we can do? Does Squall know?"  
  
"Hopefully both of those will come together. Hopefully she likes Squall as much as I think she does and she will confide in him and it will go from there. You know your brother, if he gets his mind set on something, come hell or water he gets it done.... He got that from your mother..." Laguna's eyes glazed over and Ellone hung her head. Their mother was a touchy subject, especially when Laguna brought it up.  
  
"All we can do is hope."  
--------------------------------------  
Squall and Rinoa sat on the grass, laughing. They had been outside in the garden for hours, talking. She had come close multiple times to telling him about her father but bit her tongue. He had come close to telling her about his mother leaving his family but never got around to it.  
  
"So, what's up for today?"  
  
"Well, I got another friend for you to meet," Squall replied thoughtfully.  
  
Rinoa looked at him in mock horror," ANOTHER one!?!? NO!!!" She fell over on her side and got a playful punch from Squall.  
  
"Yeah, his name is Zell. He's a bit, ummm, hyperactive."  
  
"Wow, that's cool. When do we go see him?"  
  
"Well, he lives not too far from here, so probably a little later after Irvine and Selphie show up."  
  
"They're great, how'd you meet them?"  
  
"Long story short, Irvine almost killed me and we became friends."  
  
Rinoa went wide eyed," Killed you?"  
  
Squall laughed and nodded," Yeah, he was shooting some birds that happened to be calling our backyard home and when I went out there to tell him, he aimed dead at me and shot, luckily the guy was a poor shot back then and missed. I felt it go by my ear though. That was scary."  
  
Rinoa shook her head," Wow, that's insane!!"  
  
Squall nodded," Yeah, I know, I was there."  
  
Rinoa hit him in the arm and caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Laguna, a girl about her age drinking coffee, and Angelo standing at the door. She waved to them which caused Squall to turn.  
  
"Think we should go inside?" Rinoa suggested.  
  
Squall sighed heavily and rose from the ground and offered a hand to her to help her up. Rinoa looked up at him and got up on her own, knowing good and well that if she held his hand right here, it would become a scene. A sudden shield was raised around her and she tuned Squall out. She reminded herself why she was here and decided to ask Laguna about her father before she got too attachtedto Squall... _Who the hell am I kidding? Only myself obviously, you CANNOT fall in love with a guy in like, two days time! It just DOES NOT happen!!_ But the back of her mind begged to differ because everytime she thought like that, she was reminded of Romeo and Juliet. They fell so in love, so fast, it was nothing short of... Well, she wasn't sure what it was short of but it was just great in her mind.  
  
She smiled at Squall and walked inside with him not far behind, slightly puzzled by why she wouldn't let him help her up. _Women..._ He shook his head and shrugged it off. Rinoa opened the door and looked at Laguna warmly," Angelo wasn't too much trouble yesterday, was he?"  
  
Laguna shook his head vigorously," 'Course not! I love having him around! I think he's begginning to like it here."  
  
Rinoa kneeled down and got a lick right on the face in reply of her happy dog. She wiped her face with a laugh and patted her dog on the head and scratched his ears. She stood up and faced the girl she hadn't met yet, extending a hand politely towards she said rather formally," Hello, my name is Rinoa Heartilly, I'm afraid we haven't met yet."  
  
"No we haven't met yet, my name is Ellone. I'm Squall's big sister. Nice to meet you," she shook her hand lightly with a warm smile. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you yesterday, I was really busy."  
  
Rinoa shook her head," Don't think anything of it. I understand completely," _Caraway is always busy..._ She looked at Laguna," I was wondering if I could talk to you at some part of today if you have spare time."  
  
Squall looked at her oddly. _Why would she have to talk to him? Something for Caraway maybe? No, that's not why she's here, is it?  
_  
"I'll see what I can do but I have a lot of meetings today. Ellone will find you if I have any openings, how long do you need?" Laguna all of a sudden sounded very professional and official.  
  
"Not much of your time, sir. 15 to 20 minutes tops."  
  
Ellone nodded," I'll check and see what he can do. I'm his secretary, dad would lose his head if it wasn't screwed onto his shoulders." She smiled and looked at her father who stuck his tongue out at her playfully. "I've got your cell number and I'll track you down and let you know if you aren't here."  
  
Rinoa smiled," Great, thanks." She then turned to Squall who immediately lost his puzzled look," When are Irvine and Selphie supposed to show up?"  
  
"Probably about 9:30, 10:00."  
  
"Good, that gives me time to get ready. If you all will excuse me, I have to go get ready."  
  
They all nodded simultaneously and Rinoa smiled and ran off to her room.  
  
Squall watched her go while Laguna and Ellone watched Squall with mischiveous smiles. He smiled to himself and looked back at them," What?"  
  
Laguna put a hand on Squall's shoulder," Son. I think it's about time we had THE TALK."  
  
Squall shook his head," The 'talk'?"  
  
Laguna put an arm around his son's arm and walked off from Ellone who had found out that coffee stung when it whent up your nose from laughing. "Yes, son. The talk."  
  
Then it hit Squall, he stopped dead and stared at his father. He was about to get the sex talk from a man wearing fuzzy slippers. "Dad, no. No! That's okay!"  
  
Laguna turned around to face him," You see son, when a man and woman really love each other.."  
  
Squall shook his head vigorously and Ellone was in fits of laughter as Squall bolted from his father down the hallway, Laguna began yelling 'the talk' down the hall to him but he heard a half of a sentence before he was out of earshot and two strides from his room. He ran in and locked the door. He panted slightly, laughing and slid down the wall.  
  
Laguna looked at Ellone who was clutching her stomach in laughter," Was it something I said?"  
  
A/N: Wow, 23 reviews!! I'm so proud of myself.. :: sniffles ::  
  
Des Angels  
  
M.J.- It's a typo. Sowwy... Hokeded on fonics werkd 4 me!  
  
Dark Angels- Technically she's already dumped Seifer but that's not gonna be a smooth break up... At least I don't think.  
  
Keep reviewing guys! I love you all!! R&R! Peace y'all!! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: 33 reviews!! :: cries :: I'm so happy!! You guys have NO idea!! I didn't think I would ever have this many reviews on a story! And I'm not finished yet!! :: squeals w/ joy :: Oh, and about the title. I felt the need to change the title to 'Unreachable' b/c I think it suits the story better than the other title did. Sorry if this has caused any inconviences for anyone. --' Please don't hate me that badly. It'll all be worth it in the end. Trust me.... :: grins ::

Disclaimer: Squaresoft was so proud of me for gettin' 33 reveiws, they GAVE me the rights to Final Fantasy VIII!! (Translation: I'm still broke as who knows what and am no where NEAR owning Final Fantasy VIII.... Thank you.)

* * *

Rinoa walked back into her room and sighed. She walked into her bathroom and looked in the mirror for a long moment before shedding her grey hoodie. She was wearing a black spaghetti strapped shirt that revealed that she had a few bad bruises on her shoulders. She touched one and cringed in pain_.They're still tender. Damn that old man. _She glared at her reflection angrily and lashed out at a clear glass that was there for her to rinse her mouth out. She glared angrily at the mess and she turned back to her own reflection. Sighing, she walked over and picked up the mess and, after discarding it, walked over to the shower and turned on the water and began checking the temperature. She thought she heard Laguna yelling something but, unsure of what it was, she decided to ignore it. She removed her shirt and frowned at the sight of her stomach. She had a large bruise to the left side and medium sized red welps on her sides and one on her back. She undressed fully and got in the shower.

* * *

Once Squall was safely in his room he sighed. He had escaped his father and 'the talk'. He grabbed his cellphone off of his nightstand as he propped himself against his bed. He flipped it open and scrolled through his phonebook until he found 'Zell' and pressed the talk button. It dialed the number automatically. It rang three times and a guy about Squall's age answered. _"Hello?"_

"Hey Zell, what's up?"

_"Squall? Is that you, man? Whoa!! It's like, not noon!"_

"I know, I know. Get this, I saw the sunrise this morning."

_"You, Squall Leonhart, saw the sunrise?! No friggin' way!"_

"Yeah, dude. It was great. But hey, listen, I was calling to see what you were doin' today."

"_Not much, man. Ma's gone shopping all day, why?"_

"'Cause I got somebody I want you to meet."

"_Oooohh.... What's her name?"_

Squall smiled," Now Zell, why on earth would you think it was a girl?"

"_.....Because I didn't think you flowed that way Squall... I mean, I always thought you were funny 'ha ha' but not funny as in..."_

"Zell, for Hyne sakes I am NOT gay!!! It is a chick, her name's Rinoa!" Shivers ran through Squall at the thought of him being gay. There's nothing wrong with gay people in general, just the thought of himself being gay was well, was down right scary.

"_Anyway, what time do you wanna come?"_

"Well, how 'bout I call you when Irvine and Selphie get here."

"_Sounds good. Talk to you then."_

"See ya, Zell."

"_Later." _Click.

Squall closed his own cellphone and sighed and glanced at his clock. It was 9:15 and he wondered how long it would take Rinoa to take a shower and get ready. Hopefully Selphie and Irvine would show up before then. He opened his cellphone again and scrolled through the phonebook out of a boredom habit. He found he got bored with that unusually fast and tossed his cellphone onto his bed. The clock glared at him with angry red numbers that said 9:16. He frowned and sprawled out on his bed, smothering his cellphone in the process but recieving an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach in return. He grabbed the phone and put it on his nightstand. He smiled in victory and rested his head on the pillow.

* * *

"Zell!!!" 

Selphie jumped for joy and embraced her friend in a tight hug he couldn't do much but stand there and try and breathe as much as he could.

"Selphie if you'd like Zell to be alive in the next few minutes, you'd let him go," Irvine said cautiously, prying his girlfriend off of one of his best friends.

Squall and Rinoa stood behind the pair, smiling. Zell got his breath and nodded towards them. Squall nodded back in acknowledgment," Nice to see ya, Zell."

He walked past Selphie who was now attached to Irvine with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. He seemed not to mind it too much.

He extended a hand to Rinoa," I'm Zell Dincht."

She took his hand an shook it," Rinoa Heartilly."

"The general's daughter?"

She cringed inwardly at the word 'daughter'. She forced a smile, "Yeah. The one and only."

He released her hand and went back to the front door allowing them all to enter. Squall, who was last to enter, got caught by Zell before he could get past the doorway. "Dude, wait a minute."

Squall looked at his friend as he pulled the door closed motioning for Irvine to give them one minute. Zell looked at his friend with a smirk he'd seen Irvine wear everytime they'd pass a good looking girl. "She's hot. The general's daughter, yeah, but hot none the less."

He gave his friend a look that could kill.

"And I see that a certain someone already has his mind set."

Squall suddenly realized his actions and looked away, shrugging. "Fat chance. I live here and she lives there."

"What about Quistis?"

"She broke up with me this morning."

"Really?"

"No, I'm lyin'. She was at my house last night and told me she loved me. Yes, dude! She broke up with me because she said there was someone else."

"Hmmm..." his friend got a thoughtful expression and seemed to be looking off in the distance, thinking.

"Zell, no. Don't, just leave it alone, right? If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

Zell still looked distant but nodded anyhow. Squall opened the door to find that Rinoa and Selphie had found a place on the couch and was sprawled out with the exception of Irvine who was standing at the TV, trying to figure out how to play a tape. He was in a crouch position, level with the VCR, scratching his head. Zell shook his head and closed the door behind him. "Irvine, you are so ignorant."

Irvine looked at him with a confused face," I wouldn't be if you got a damned DVD player."

Zell walked over to help Irvine and Squall stood where he was, trying his best not to look at Rinoa who was laying on the couch with her head on the armrest and her feet tucked in close to her. She ran a hand over her blue jeans and fixed her dark red shirt. Squall managed to catch this out of the corner of his eye.

Zell and Irvine's combined efforts finally got the VCR running and everyone got situated on a couch. Between the three couches, Selphie and Irvine were curled up together on one couch, Zell was sprawled out on his own and looked rather comfortable, and Squall was at one end of the couch with Rinoa curled up at the other. The movies begginning credits rolled and Squall loosened up, relaxing a little more every second.

* * *

A/N: (PLEASE READ!!) Alllllll righty then!! Chapter Eleven is now complete and to my loverly reviewers!!

Breath of Fire: Your frickin' brilliant!! I never thought about that. I'll have to put that in somewheres. Thank you SOO much!!

My sizzer!!: Yesh, I'm just so damn good! How can anyone NOT love me?

Linzy (my lil' sizzer): :: tear :: You guys like it!! :: hugs both of her sizzers :: You really like it!!

ElvenHorse: :: laughs :: You have no idea how many times I have said the SAME thing to other authors!! :: get serious :: Peas dun't hurt me.... .

Lady-Rinoa: I'm gonna throw some plot twists in there and I'm not quite sure if I wanna make her a sorceress or not yet. I think I might though.. I dunno but I think you guys are really gonna like the ending!!

angel-brokensorrow: I realized there were a lot of fics like this but I decided 'Hell, why not?' and wrote one of my own!!

Dark Angels: It's really great to hear you say that was funny b/c I've always wanted to write a funny line in one of my stories but I've never been able to. :: tear :: Thank you!!

scott-land: Again with the funny and comedy schtuff!! :: tear :: Thank you!!

I leave you now with a song...

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

And this is how it goes

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

And this is how it goes

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

Everybody's nerves

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves

And this is how it goes

...Peace y'all!!


	12. Chapter Twelve

AN: OMG y'all. I've been a bad bad bad author!!! I've been so busy! Between an anal advanced biology teacher, advanced geometry giving me trouble, not being able to sleep some nights b/c I'm worrying about a friend, getting to school for 6:30 Tues., Wed., and Fri., ROTC uniforms on Thurs., and what little that exists of my social life with my friends and boyfriend, I have had ZERO time to update. Well, you guys didn't click the link to read about this thing I commonly refer to as my life, you came to read the next chapter. Hope ya like it!!

Disclaimer: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me you know the drill by now?!

His chin rested in his hands, scraping the stubble on his chin ever so slightly. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed. Seifer sat on the edge of his bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, the sheets tangled around his waist. It was midnight in Balamb City yet Seifer was wide awake, his mind jogging through thoughts that usually hid in the recesses of his mind, the dark corners he strayed away from. But he found comfort in the moonlight that shone through his window on the sleeping blonde next to him. The blonde haired, blue eyed, beauty that lived in either Deling or Esthar depending on the day and time. Seifer looked over his shoulder for a moment and watched her, the slow rising and falling of her chest, the way the moonlight shone against her skin he took in every detail. He found himself at peace and found himself in one of those moments that he knew that everything between him and Quistis happened for a reason. That it just wasn't to hurt two innocent people who were basically in the wrong place at the wrong time.

_3 months earlier_

_Seifer walked into a small diner in Esthar, intending to order the first thing he saw on the menu, eat in one bite, and get back to work. General Caraway would have his hide if he took more than five minutes to eat. Of course, Caraway wasn't here... A small grin ran across Seifer's face as he sat down at one of the small booths that sat in a back corner. He eagerly picked up a menu and glanced over it a few times before deciding what he wanted. _

"_Can I help you?" a woman's voice made Seifer almost jump and 'jumping' wasn't something Seifer usually did. Between Caraway getting three inches from his face and screaming to Caraway getting an inch and a half away from his face and yelling, Seifer had learned never to flinch. Or you get hurt. He looked up at blue eyes that would become all too familiar and smiled. _

"_I think you can."_

_-------------------_

After that, they talked for a while and he found himself asking her out to dinner, as a friend, after receiving the information that she had a boyfriend and admitting himself that he had a girlfriend. Or that's what Caraway made him call her. Rinoa and Seifer's relationship was what Caraway referred to as 'arranged happily ever after. Seifer had known Rinoa and her father for years but had never really had real interest in Rinoa as a girlfriend or anything. But Seifer would have a few 'outrageous felonies' on his hands if he didn't start liking Rinoa then and there. He had no choice. It was go to jail and get raped and Hyne knows else or date a hot girl for while. Needless to say he chose the latter but things quickly escalated with Caraway. He threw around the weight he pulled in the military to make Seifer his minion. Seifer found himself doing things that he knew were wrong and fought with his conscience hours afterwards. In nights where sleep couldn't find either of the two, Seifer talked. He confided in Quistis and told her all of the things he'd seen, done, and heard. She sat for hours, listening to him, no words, just listening to him talk about all the things he had done for the general. How he felt horrible for treating Rinoa the way he had to. It was Quistis who finally made him realize that he could get out of it. They were both set to start school at Balamb Garden in a few days, which put both of them out of the general's reach. Freedom. Seifer would finally be able to make his own choices and rule his own life. He'd be with Quistis all the time. No more running back and forth for either of them. Seifer had debated telling Rinoa the truth. She knew nothing of what her father made him do, how her father went out of his way... Or made Seifer go out of his way... To make her life miserable. He wanted her to know but he figured it'd be easier on everyone if he just disappeared. Gone without a trace until he revealed Caraway and was sent as a SeeD to kick his ass, personally.

Seifer lay back down on the bed and pulled the sheets back over him, turning towards Quistis and softly put his arm around her slim waist. She stirred and turned towards him, burying her face in his chest and falling back into a peaceful sleep. Seifer smiled and kissed the top of her head before sleep found his own tired eyes.

- Back in Esthar -

Rinoa was across Squall's lap asleep with Squall's head tilted back, dead asleep as well. A bemused Selphie had a wide grin across her face as she quietly snickered from her place next to Irvine on the couch.

"Ain't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?!"

Irvine shook his head," Selphie, don't get your hopes up or anything. I don't think it'll happen."

Selphie poked out her bottom lip and placed her chin on Irvine's shoulder," Oh Irvy, you're so pessimistic!! Be optimistic for once! Maybe it will work!! You never know. Love comes from the most unexpected places."

"Selphie, I really don't think-"

Selphie pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him, quickly removing it to kiss him softly. "You never know..." She looked over her shoulder to see if Zell's head was under the pillow, indicating that he was asleep. At the sight of him asleep, she turned back to Irvine and kissed him a little deeper. Tight arms went around her and there was nowhere else the pair could've been paid to be.

A/N: Aiight, sorry it's short but it's 12:30 AM, I'm tired. I can't even se straight much less type. Spell check is wonderful right now. God Bless America 9/11/04 Never Forget you guys. (USMC Ooo-rah!) Peace y'all.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: PLEASE forgive meh!! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in so long but my life has been chaos!! Wanna hear the weird part?! I wouldn't change any of it!! :: laughs all evil like :: This chapter may not seem like too much but trust me, it holds its own significance even though it's a bit short. Stay with me here you guys, don't give up on me.

To the reviewers:

Dark Angels- Sorry so short. I was awful tired but I had to seize the moment and get something out.

Cypher- Thanks for the support! Glad ya like it!

Yunie-star-Tidus-cutie- Glad I can make a fic lover out of ya!! Keep readin', it only gets better!

Leanne Ashley- Ain't that the truth?! My mom actually told me I couldn't update during the school week but I've got some free time so I'mma do it for fear that my story will get deleted. Eek!

Angel-brokensorrow- Throughout the game, I always thought that Seifer was the evil prick and Caraway didn't quite match him but wasn't the nicest guy in the world. But, at the end of the game, I came to my own conclusion that Seifer was a good guy down deep and that Caraway could possibly be a good guy but every good story needs a villain, right? Sorry Caraway! This chapter was mainly to show that Seifer was just a puppet and that Caraway was pulling the strings to make Rin's life hell. If you got that point, my time wasn't wasted although I am sorry you weren't totally pleased. Hopefully you'll like this one better.

Disclaimer: Okay, this is really annoying. Skip this part. I don't own FF8, 'kay?

_Everything spun around her as she staggered through the hallway, her right arm extended and running against the wall for support._

"... _Where am I?" she didn't know if she thought it aloud or just in her head. She stopped momentarily to look at her surroundings and gasped at the realization. "This is the mansion."_

_She looked down at the red carpet beneath her feet and the wood paneling that met red and gold wallpaper half way up. She closed her eyes tightly to fight off the need to vomit and steadied herself for a moment. When she opened her eyes, Angelo was on the ground looking up at her, her bobtail wagging gleefully. She barked playfully and it sent Rinoa's head into another pounding session of pain._

_She touched the dog on the muzzle," Shhhh, quiet..." Angelo cocked her head to the side, turned tail and ran, disappearing just before the end of the hallway. "What the hell am I doing here?"_

"_You wretched thing... I sent you to do one miserable thing for me and what do I get?! Nothing! You can't even get that right!" her father's voice roared behind her. She blinked hard and slid down the wall, her father's face now inches from hers. _

"_I...I...But I'm not..." she never got the chance to finish her sentence. Her father hit her hard across the face and she cried out in pain. She placed a shaking hand to her face._

"_How dare you talk back to me! You did wrong!! Don't deny it!" he struck her again and grabbed a handful of hair in the process, pulling her to her feet. "Listen and listen well brat..." he hissed words into her ear that chilled her down to the bone and she honestly thought that he would kill her, right here and now._

"_Let go of her. You got no damn right to touch her like that," a deep voice filled Rinoa's ears and sent the chills that had settled in her bones from fear she'd never show running. Caraway's head turned as Rinoa's did and there stood Squall, holding what looked like a sword of some kind in an aggressive position, slanted before him, poised to strike. _

"_She's my daughter, I'll do what I damn well please and who the hell do you think you are to tell my otherwise?" Caraway hissed with his anger rising with every syllable that escaped his mouth._

"_You'll damn well regret it if you hurt her," Squall stood strong, never flinching, never batting an eyelash to the raging General. _

_Caraway threw Rinoa to the ground with so much force that she bashed her head against the ground and everything went black for a few minutes, enough so that she didn't hear the cries of the General as metal pierced his stomach and once rock hard abs like a knife through warm butter. _

_Strong hands to a gentle hold of her and pulled her close," Rin... Rin, wake up... Rin..."_

"...Rinoa. Wake up. Please, you're worrying Selphie!"

Big brown eyes were reavled from behind tightly closed eyelids and attempted to focus on their surroundings. To her left stood a worried, teary eyed Selphie wrapped in Irvine's strong arms in a desperate attempt to comfort the poor girl. Directly above her, steel blue eyes looked just worried as the green eyed ones.

"Rin, are you okay? Oh my gosh, say something, please!!" Selphie cried.

"Selphie she's fine, she was having a nightmare, I told you so," Irvine stroked the girl's hair and whispered to her softly in another attempt to comfprt her.

"Rin, are you okay?" Squall said quietly.

"Yeah... I'm fine... It was just a nightmare..." she said hoarsely.

"You started shaking really bad and broke out into a cold sweat..."

"I got the towel... Oh, she's awake!" Zell appeared into Rinoa's line of sight, holding a small wash cloth that was damp with cold water apparently to try and wake the sleeping Rinoa.

"Yeah, it was just a nightmare, Zell. She's fine," Squall looked away from her eyes to look at Zell. For a moment, she felt something she'd never experienced before. The feeling of being torn. Hurt. Maybe hurt wasn't the new feeling, but the reason was. She had lost Squall's eyes, it was like he had left her if only for an instant. She felt lost and helpless and she'd enver felt that way. Realzizing she was lying in his lap, she repositioned her self with her legs draped across him, her arms wrapped tight around his neck, face buried in his neck. She'd never felt completely safe and secure before but for moment in time, she did. It felt as if she'd found her place in the whole scheme of things and it was right there. Squall hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and she felt even more secure. She felt wanted.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear. His breath against her ear sent chills down her spine but she contained them and simply nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she whispered back.

He pulled her closer, not wanting to let go.

Selphie looked at Irvine with a smirk on her face, Irvine a look of shock. He blinked a few times and looked at Zell who shrugged. The three made their way to kitchen to find some food. Leaving the two to themselves and silence.

A/N: Like I said, it's not the greatest thing in the world but Rin is finally getting it through that hard head of her's that there are feelings there between her and the blue eyed boy. Sorry for those of you disappointed in me but I'm honestly trying and I promise that the next chapter will be a little more productive. Peace y'all!!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: I've been the worst author ever, I know. Just give me your attention for a little while longer and if you aren't happy with these chapters, you can pummel me with hate mail. Promise. Oh, and so you don't get surprised, this is the beginning of the end. Yes, I know, all good things must come to an end.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with FFVIII except the 4 disc game set and the strategy guide.

* * *

"She broke up with me, General! There's nothing I can do about the way she feels!" Seifer felt a bead of sweat roll down between his shoulder blades. If he wasn't so scared of this man ruining his life, he'd deck the man and leave, simple as that. It was apparent that the man didn't give a rat's ass about how his daughter felt or how Seifer himself felt for that matter. All he cared about was control, over everyone and thing. 

The maleficent General was looking out over the city from the window behind his desk. "Seifer, if you remember, when this began some time ago, I told you specifically what I wanted. I wanted you to report to me every move she made, every friend she had and every time she so much as took a breath. There was to be no real relationship between you two but I wanted to know everything she did. If you can't hold up your end of the bargain then I'm afraid I cannot up hold mine."

Seifer rose from the chair he was sitting in and pointed an accusing finger at Caraway, "You won't get away with this! You won't! I'm going to the press to tell them what you're doing to you're so called family! No wonder the girl hates you, not only does she blame you for the death of her own mother but you're a sucky ass father too!" With that, he turned and walked out of the door, slamming it behind him. He left the house and got into the car that was parked out in front of the mansion. He got in and placed the key in the ignition.

"I guess he didn't take it so well, did he?" the tall, leggy blonde asked from the passenger seat.

"He took like I knew he would. We have to leave, now. Go somewhere. And I have an idea," Seifer said as he pulled away from the house. He opened his cell phone and scrolled through his list of phone numbers until he found the one for the local train station. The line rang once, twice… "Come on, dammit! Pick up!" he cursed as he turned onto a different road. It was the middle of the night, he could only hope someone was at the desk in the train station.

"Deling train station," a young girl's tired voice told him.

"When is the next train leaving for Esthar?" Seifer asked in a rushed voice.

Quistis turned completely in her seat to look at her boyfriend, "Are you insane?"

He looked over at her and winked, mouthing the words, "Maybe." He turned his attention back to the girl on the phone. "10 minutes? Perfect, there are seats left I assume." He pasued. "Great, can you reserve two seats? Thanks." He closed the phone, cutting the connection.

Quistis still had a look of utter disbelief and shock on her face, "What the hell are we doing going to Esthar this late at night?"

Seifer took a deep breath and took her hand in his, "Listen, I've really hurt someone that definitely didn't deserve it. Rinoa didn't ask for any of this. I have to make it up to her, I have to tell her why."

"Can't you just call her and tell her?" she asked, half astounded that he'd even be willing to face her after all this yet half wanting to go.Rinoa was with Squall and that would mean Quistis could explain her situation too.

He nodded as he took the final turn that would lead them to the station, "I could but she doesn't deserve that either." He pulled to a stop outside the station and looked at her. "Besides, we may have to skip town a while. Caraway said that since I didn't hold up on my end of the bargain, he won't either. I'll have a few felonies tacked onto my name by the end of the night."

Quistis nodded and got out of the car. Seifer popped the trunk and they grabbed what bags were there, only two a piece, and headed into the train station.

* * *

(( Scene Change ))

* * *

Squall glanced at his bedside clock that read 1:30. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and gently placed them on the carpeted floor. Exiting his room, he went towards the kitchen, hoping Ellone was still awake. When he got to the kitchen, Ellone was sitting at the table, writing something. She heard his footsteps on the tile floor and looked up from her work. "Trouble sleeping?" 

He walked over to the table at sat next to her. He nodded slowly, "It usually is when something's on your mind."

Ellone gave him a curious look, "What's on your mind?"

Squall stared off into space for a moment, deciding whether he should tell his older sister the truth or not. He sighed, nodded once and decided on the truth, "Yesterday, we were at Zell's watching a movie. Rinoa fell asleep on my lap and had a nightmare. A really bad nightmare, she was moaning and crying. Then she woke up and had this look on her face that will stay with me forever. She was so scared. She clung to me like I was a life preserver and she was drowning. But…" he couldn't believe he was saying this about someone he'd basically just met. He hesitated and looked at his sister, wondering if she'd laugh at what he was about to saynext. "It felt… I don't know… Right. Like she was supposed to be there, you know?" He leaned his head back against the chair he was sitting in. There was a silent moment between them before he opened his eyes and looked at her, "What you think I'm crazy?"

Ellone couldn't help but smile, "No. I don't think you're crazy at all. I think it's wonderful. Rinoa's a wonderful person and I think you two would be wonderful together. But what about Quistis?"

Squall sighed, "She dumped me. She found someone else, someone she likes better I guess. Things weren't great between us anyway, I think she was cheating on me. Besides, like Rinoa'd ever date someone like me. I'm in no way good enough for that girl, she's just… Everything." He suddenly found a piece of dirt on the table very interesting.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" his sister asked. It wasn't really a question, she knew his answer.

"I don't know how it happened or when it happened but it happened and I know I'll only get hurt. She's going to leave and I won't ever see her again. Then were will I be? Stuck on a girl that's hundreds of miles away doing who knows what," he said quietly. He shook his head, "I don't wanna be that way."

Ellone could find no words to comfort Squall, he was right. She would leave and he probably wouldn't ever see her again. He sighed and stood up, "All of a sudden, I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go to bed. Thanks Ellone."

She watched him walk away with his head hung, no doubt wondering what his next move would be. With a sigh, she closed the notebook she was writing in, picked it up and made her way back to her room, suddenly tired herself.

* * *

((Scene Change ))

* * *

Knock, knock. "Rinoa, wake up." The blonde haired teenager opened the door to her room ever so slightly. "Rinoa."

She sat up straight in her bed, looking wildly around her room. "Who's there?" She rubbed her eyes and finally saw Seifer. And rubbed her eyes again. "Oh my gosh, what are YOU doing here?"

He walked over to her, "I'm here because we aren't going to see each other for a while and I had to set things straight between us."

Rinoa looked at him harshly and covered herself with her covers, "Well, of course I won't be seeing you for a while, I broke up with you. Also known as 'I-don't-want-to-see-you-anymore'."

Seifer shook his head, "I know that much but I haven't been completely honest with you as to why I've treated like shit while we've been dating. Rinoa, I don't know if you're going to believe me or not but I can only hope you will, your father **made** me date you. I had no choice. He threatened to pull some strings and add some felonies to my name if I didn't." Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "After you so rightly, very rightly, broke up with me the other night I realized I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep doing this to you, to myself. So I told him we broke up and he told me that since my end of the bargain wasn't held up, his wouldn't be either. I'm sure by now he's called whatever links he has and made me a convicted felon."

She felt like screaming her lungs out, venting every frustration that whirled within her head, "Why would he make you DO such a thing?"

"He wanted control. He wanted to know you were with someone who would tell him exactly what you did, when you did it and how. Someone he knew he had complete control over and I guess I looked like the guy for the job," he shrugged and allowed his hands to slap against his sides. He sat down in the chair at her small desk and rubbed his forehead. "Now, I have girlfriend to keep safe and no where to go. I don't know what to do I just know I have to do something."

Rinoa looked at him curiously, "Girlfriend?" Seifer nodded, "You were right. I was cheating on you. I'm sorry, by the way, but she made me happier than anyone I've ever met. I honestly love her."

Rinoa nodded, "Good." She scrambled out of bed, leaving her modesty about being in her pajamas behind. Seifer stuck his head out into the hallway, "What're you doing?"

Rinoa ignored him completely and ran into the kitchen to find Laguna. "Laguna!" He was sitting in the kitchen, talking to Squall and a tall, blonde haired blue eyed girl about her age. Rinoa's eyes went wide, "Wow, so didn't know we had company or that Squall was in here! Right, um, I've already made a complete fool of myself so, Laguna I was wondering…" Laguna smiled at her, "Rinoa, I'd like you to meet Quistis. Seifer's lady friend and Squall's former one." The blonde extended a hand to Rinoa who shook it politely.

Quistis looked at Seifer who had appeared behind Rinoa, "Mr. Loire has offered to help us. He said he'd give us a place here to stay and try to fix all of this."

_Fix all of this? Oh no, Laguna's never going to trust Caraway again. I can't… But he doesn't deserve to be trusted but I can't go home if Laguna doesn't trust him. _Rinoa felt dizzy and grabbed the counter for support, Seifer reached out and grabbed her arm to helpher to a chair. Squall practically leapt from his and rushed to her, "Are you okay?"

Rinoa started shaking ever so slightly and took a deep breath, trying to relax. "I'm fine. Just dizzy, that's all." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I'll be ok."

Seifer looked at her with concerned eyes, "No you aren't." Rinoa shot him a deadly glance that clearly told him to shut the hell up. Seifer pulled her off of her seat and lead her down the hallway. He held up a single finger, motioning for Squall to give them a moment alone. Once they were a good distance away from the others, he stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "Look, I don't know why he sent you here, he wouldn't tell me and you haven't either. But whatever it is I'm sure it's only to benefit him and he's going to lay into you if you don't do it. What's going on, Rinoa? Laguna seems like a good guy and that Squall guy likes you enough, he'd surely help. What are you here for, Rinoa? Why did he send you?"

Rinoa stared at the floor. She felt like she was going to pass out or throw up, maybe both. She took a shaky breath, looking around she answered his question, "He sent me here because Laguna was going to get him kicked off the Board. He said that Laguna was too immature for some project they were going to put him on. Caraway sent me over here to patch things up and you know what'll happen if I don't." Seifer turned away from her and ran a hand down the side of his face.

He faced her again, "You can't let him do this to you! It's eating away at you and it's only going to hurt you in the end! Don't you see it? He gets what he wants and you get left with nothing but pain. You can't let him do this to you."

Rinoa's eyes watered as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I know that but I can't just tell him no! He'll kick me out and…" She shook her head vigorously and took off in the opposite direction from the way she had come. She made it into her room before she completely collapsed onto the floor in sobs that racked her body. After a few minutes, she was able to sit up right and prop herself against the bedpost. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself.

Two soft knocks came from behind her door, "Rinoa, it's Squall. I know you probably don't want to talk right now but I just wanted to make sure you were ok. So, are you?"

Rinoa sniffled again and stood up. She opened the door for Squall but couldn't find the strength to look him in the eyes. "I think I should go home, to Deling." If she had been looking at his face, she would have seen the hurt that showed so plainly there, the hurt that showed not only in his face but in his eyes as well. He prayed it wouldn't show in his voice when all he could manage to say was, "Oh." Rinoa quietly closed the door and left Squall standing there, alone once again. He silently placed his forehead against the wooden door and sighed. _What's going on, Rinoa? Why do you insist on going back to your father if he hurts you like Seifer said? What else is there? Why don't you stay here... With me? Do you not like me that much? What's going on?_

_I wish I could tell you but… I just can't. It's something I've never told anyone before. I can't stay here. I'm so sorry, Squall. I've put you through too much and the sooner you forget me, the better off you are. Forget me, Squall. Forget you ever met a girl named Rinoa Heartily._

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for the delay! Hope this chapter is up to you guys standards and remember to post lots of reviews for a faster update! The better I feel about myself, the faster ideas come to me! Lates peeps! 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Hey guys! How is life going for everybody? Thanks for everyone who's been reading this fic, as long as it has taken me to finish it. But life has been pretty busy and just to prove it, I graduated from Ponchatoula High School on May 18th, 2007. I have been so crazy busy this last year it's been insane. I start college at Southeastern Louisiana University on June 6th. So, my goal is to finish this story, finish 'All Falls Down' and start my next story which will be titled 'I'm Still Here'. Hope you like the long awaited ending to my story!

Disclaimer: I beat Final Fantasy VIII again, July 5th. It was awesome!!!!!!! Not only were all of my characters level 100 (And I do mean all! Including all of the GFs except Eden) and I finished off Greiver in only ONE, YES ONE Renzokuken followed by the ever wonderful Lion Heart. The rest of the battle went like a dream. My Squall, Rinoa and Selphie went on to save the world and I saw the magnificent ending for the umpteenth-dozenth time. It was awesome, just like always. Sorry, had to share that. (( Lol, my boyfriend, the Grant person, is on the phone and after telling him all of this he asks, "So, now that you've beaten it totally and completely, what are you going to do now?" I only smile and say, "What else? Start all over again, this time with a strategy guide!!" )) Onward!!

Chapter Fifteen

'Unreachable'

_Sometimes love is addiction_

_Sometimes it hurts like hell_

_And sometimes you just can't get enough_

_You can't make me love you anymore than I do_

_But you can make me…_

_Unreachable_

- Ashlee Simpson

Tears fell from her eyes in a constant stream but strangely enough, she was sobbing. Rinoa stared blankly out of her car's windshield, the engine humming along loudly as she maintained the steady speed. Everyone had bid her a tearful good-bye except Squall. He had hugged her gently and told her that if she ever needed anything, he was just a phone call away. Rinoa forced a smile and told him that she would call them to let them know she had arrived in Deling safely.

She had made it out of the city without crying and now she couldn't seem to stop.

Angelo whined from the passenger seat and Rinoa absently rubbed his head. "I know friend. I know."

Her cell phone rang and she dug it out of her center console to answer it, "Hello?"

"I assume you're on your way back home."

Rinoa nodded, "Yes but I'm afraid I have bad news."

"That damn dog had better of died because if you tell me you didn't repair things with Loire, I'll make life more of a hell than it already is."

"'That damn dog' is in the seat next to me."

The phone went dead and a chill of fear ran down Rinoa's spine. She exhaled forcefully and eased off the gas. "I don't want to go home."

* * *

Squall lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A soft knock on his door was followed by someone entering and when Squall turned to see who it was, he was surprised to find a distressed Seifer standing in his doorway. 

"He'll kill her."

Squall sat up straight, "He wouldn't do that, would he?"

The look on Seifer's face scared him, "You don't know this creep. He wants complete control over everything and he'll do anything it takes to get it. He's unstoppable and psycho. We have to do something."

Squall rubbed his face, trying to soak in the fact that someone's father would actually kill his daughter, he sighed, "She wouldn't stay, she insisted on leaving and she's too bullheaded to stay."

Seifer shook his head vigorously, "She's not bullheaded, she's scared. She knows that if she stays here, he'll find her so she thinks the best thing to do is go back to him but you and I know that's the worst thing in the world she could possibly do. We have to stop her."

Squall leapt from the bed and put on the brown bomber jacket he'd somehow become famous for, "We'll take my car."

* * *

The conductor called 'All Aboard' for the final time just as the train car holding Rinoa's Eclipse had been loaded into was shut. She sighed and looked at Angelo, "Ok guy, let's load up."

Angelo whined and tucked his tail between his legs as he obediently followed her into her private suite inside one of the train's cars. She sat down on the plushy couch ad turned on the flat-screen television that hung on the wall. (A/N: Hey, who said the trains can't have an upgrade every once a while?) Angelo jumped onto the couch beside her and laid his head on her lap. She sighed and flipped through the channels, most of them were news and she wasn't in the mood for politics right now. After cycling through twice, she finally settled on one channel only to find that the movie on was a romance. Though it was already half over, from what she could tell the main male character was trying to win the affections of a brunette that refused to admit the feelings she had for him. He went through the whole routine of flowers on her desk at school, carrying her books and opening doors for her, everything he could think of and Rinoa had to hand it to him, everything he did was impossibly sweet and couldn't stop herself from wondering if Squall would do those things for her. For a moment, she forgot completely about the undeniable beatings she would receive when she got home. But the happiness she felt was quickly subdued when; the main male character was seriously injured driving a drunken friend home from a party when he was hit by a drunk driver he couldn't help. Rinoa fought back tears as the poor girl sat at his bedside, trying her best to get the young boy to come to life again but the comatose state he was in gave him little chance survival. Still the girl stayed for months, refusing anything from anyone until this boy awoke. Sadly, his parents made the tragic decision to pull the plug and let him peacefully slip away but at the exact moment the plug was removed from the wall, the girl whispered the words the boy had longed to hear.

"_I love you, Adam. I always have and I always will. Please stay with me."_

The doctor stated he had only a few moments left but as soon as the words left the man's lips, the boy's eyes opened.

Rinoa sobbed into Angelo's fur. Why couldn't she have happiness like that? She'd left it back in Esthar, people who genuinely cared for her and loved her. Squall, something inside of her kept nodding when she thought of him, as if to say, _he's the one. He's the one you're supposed to be with forever, he's the one._

"We will be arriving at the Deling train station shortly. Please gather your belongings and proceed to the train exit and as always, thank you for riding with us."

Rinoa got up and looked in the mirror, wiping her eyes furiously. She and Angelo walked out of the suite and exited the train. She looked around; her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the city, Angelo whined and nudged her hand. Rinoa scratched behind his ear and sighed, "Home sweet home." She walked to the back of the train where the car holding her car was being opened.

"Leave it, you won't be needing it for a while," a Galbadian soldier approached her from behind, grabbing her arm tightly. "Come with me."

"Wow, no please, thanks or 'Hi glad you're home'?" she spat as she was drug to an awaiting vehicle. "Angelo, come!"

"Leave him too. The General says no one wants to take care of that mutt."

Rinoa almost yanked her arm out of socket to get away from this man, "_**I**_ want to take care of that mutt! Angelo, here boy!"

She turned completely around to see Angelo be scooped up by a passerby, stolen right out from under her nose. Try as she may to get a good look at the man that took him, he had disappeared into the crowd, even with a dog in his arms. "Angelo! Put him down!" She started screaming at the top of her lungs, creating quite a scene in the busy station. She was stuffed into the waiting car, crying and screaming. She hadn't noticed a second soldier get out of the car but noticed the solid one sitting in the backseat and she definitely noticed the other one when she was wedged between the two of them. Each grabbed a hand and a knee, as she continued to fight, trying to free herself.

"Calm down, you're dog is better off wherever it is now because no one will want to take care of it once…" all of the men started laughing and Rinoa fought again, her face drenched from her tears, her hair clinging to it. She sobbed harder.

The car came to sudden stop. "Get her inside."

She was drug from the car and thrown over the shoulder of one of the men who hauled her like a sack of potatoes into the mansion. She heard the door open, her hair obstructing her view. She saw the carpet of the inside of the mansion and then…

"You fools, I told you not to make a scene!"

Oh, daddy dearest.

"Sir, she was not carried out of the station this way. The dog was stolen and she caused a scene and she was placed into the vehicle as quickly as we could. Where would you like her?"

She heard footsteps approach and then saw her father's shoes, "It's nice to see you, dear. Hope you enjoyed your stay."

She responded by spitting on his shoes.

Her father responded by grabbing a handful of hair and pulling her off of the guard's shoulder and onto the floor, face first.

"Leave." The heavy footfalls of the guards leaving were not what Rinoa wanted to hear; no matter how much of an ass they could be, anyone was better than him. She lifted herself up off the floor and looked at the evil man that she was forced to call 'father'.

"You'll pay for this fuck up, Rinoa. My career was riding on you and you messed it up," his voice was even and calm and that scared her, more than anything in the whole world. "Ever since you were a baby you have been a constant disgrace to this family. You're worthless and you always have been and it is about damn time I did something about it."

Caraway walked across the room and picked up a small vial of black liquid from the mantel. Rinoa looked quickly around the room for a way out, the windows were plexi-glass and the heavy wooden doors were bolted shut and not easily kicked down, he was blocking the only escape route she knew of down into the sewers of Deling, she was trapped with no chance of escape.

"Shit," she swore underneath her breath.

"No, you won't get out of the room alive this time, Rinoa," he said simply.

Then, Rinoa knew that she had to fight. She couldn't go out this way and wouldn't let someone tell her when it was her time to die. "No."

Caraway arched a thick eyebrow and looked directly into her eyes, "No what? No you refuse to go quietly? We can fix…"

"I refuse to go at all. Not on your time," Rinoa said. "I don't know who died and made you supreme ruler of the world but I'm tired of it."

Caraway set down the vial and picked up a small hand gun on the mantel instead. Rinoa hadn't seen that one coming. Caraway leveled the gun at her and she was frozen from fright.

From somewhere outside, she heard one small word that would change her life as she knew it, "Now!"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

A/N: Here it goes, four years of hard work have led up to this moment. It's almost over, just keep reading! Read and review!

In all of Rinoa's life, few people had ever stood up for her. Guards within her home had stood and watched her be beaten and said nothing, early teachers had seen the scars and the bruises and said nothing. She was sure that that was how her life was going to go, everyone would see and suspect but be too afraid to do anything about it or not care enough to do anything.

She had obviously been very, very wrong.

"Now!"

Somewhere outside a large truck's engine revved loudly and the side of the mansion holding were the windows were was ripped off. Men began yelling, the loud crash of the side of the mansion falling tried and failed to drown them out. Rinoa ran away from the loud rumble and heard a single shot fired, followed by what sounded like a thousand more. White hot searing pain shot up her right arm and she screamed. Strong arms grabbed her shoulders and directed her away from the rubble and onto the ground.

"Stay down and stay here."

_That voice…_Rinoa spun her head around trying to see who it was that grabbed her but the dust was so thick she couldn't see anything. She heard something glass hit the ground and ignite, the smoke alarm went off. Rinoa jumped up off of the ground and spun around trying to find her way out. Thick black smoke began filling the room.

"Squall!" she yelled as loud as she could over the roar of everything else.

She could see a figure through the smoke approaching her and quickly retreated, holding her arm tightly while trying to stop the bleeding. She felt faint and started coughing from the smoke. "Squall!"

From a thousand miles away she heard, "I'm coming, Rinoa! I hear you, I'm coming!" the smoky figure became Squall as Rinoa's legs gave way and she fell back onto the floor, weak from blood loss. "Shit, Rinoa…" he was crouched beside her and was looking her over. "You've been shot. Laguna! Seifer! Somebody call a medic! Rinoa's been shot!"

Rinoa, despite everything, laughed, "Yeah, I noticed, it kind of hurts." She groaned in pain. "Squall, what the hell are you guys doing here? Not that I'm not glad or anything..."

"I'll tell you after we get out of here, ok? I promise," he coughed hard and took off his top shirt and wrapped it around Rinoa's wound as many times as he could. He picked her up and ran through the smoke and debris, straight into the waiting arms of paramedics. They took her from him and laid her on the stretcher, she grabbed Squall's hand, "Are you coming to the hospital?"

"We all are, yes but you need to go now," he said quickly giving her hand a quick squeeze.

"Come with me, please? I'm scared," she said and Squall nodded.

He looked to the paramedics and they briefly looked up from Rinoa to nod, "You can ride but you have to stay out of the way."

Squall nodded and the paramedics put Rinoa in the back of the ambulance. He looked over his shoulder to see Caraway being drug away by a group of Esthar soldiers and Laguna and Seifer looking on, nodding with silent agreement that they would meet him there. He climbed into the back of the vehicle and the doors slammed behind him and soon they were off in a rush on their way to the hospital. The lone medic in the back taking care of Rinoa was prodding her with needles and wrapping fresh gauze around her wounds, throwing Squall's blood soaked shirt in the garbage. The 20 – something paramedic looked at Squall, "Keep her talking, we need to keep her conscience."

Squall took Rinoa's hand, "It was all Seifer's idea." Rinoa turned towards him. "Seifer came into my room and knew he would hurt you and knew we had to do something. Laguna brought in some volunteer soldiers to help out and we moved as fast as we could to get here and we were almost too late."

She let go of his hand and pressed it to the side of his face, "I love you."

Squall's heart skipped a beat and all of the air that had been in his lungs disappeared, "I love you too, Rinoa and I'm so glad you're ok." He placed his hand over hers and brought her palm to his lips.

Rinoa shook her head, "I wasn't going to let him hurt me. I had to see you again."

"Ok Rinoa, we're at the hospital. We're going to take you directly to surgery to remove the bullet and make sure everything is alright. Ready?"

"Yeah," she smiled directly into Squall's eyes, "Ready for anything."

> > > > > >6 months later 

(A/N: Ok, because I don't really know where to put this, Angelo got scooped up by an Esthar soldier in disguise.)

"Oh come on, Squall! Pick one, this china pattern or this china pattern?!" Rinoa said for the umpteeth dozenth time. She held up one delicate plate in front of Squall and then the other. He was sitting on a deep red couch in the living room of their new house.

"For the millionth time, it's up to you! I won't be eating off of them!" he laughed at her playful anger.

After the incident in Deling, Rinoa moved to Esthar and lived in the palace with Squall, Seifer, Quistis, Ellone, Laguna and Angelo. Sometime after the announcement was made that General Caraway was going to be imprisoned for attempted murder for the rest of his life, Squall proposed to Rinoa. She happily accepted and here we find them now, in their new home in Esthar, close enough to the palace for Laguna to visit often but far enough away for them to have their own life.

"I'm not going to eat off of them either! They sit in the china cabinet we have to buy for the dining room and look pretty!" she said, stomping her feet. Squall leaned his head back and laughed as Angelo barked from his spot at the end of the couch as if emphasizing Rinoa's point. "That's right, Angelo! Tell him!" Rinoa put the china dishes back in their box in defeat and sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

Squall shrugged, "I can give you a few ideas…"

* * *

Laguna had kept his word to Seifer and Quistis; they were given their own part of the mansion to call home until they could get out on their own. After seeing the great leader Seifer could be after Rinoa's rescue, he gave him a position of command in the Esthar military. Seifer and Quistis too were engaged, happily planning their wedding. Having just moved from their part of the mansion, they are more caught up in moving than the wedding plans. 

"The kitchen stuff went this morning, Quistis. You watched them put it in the truck," Seifer assured her.

Still, Quistis had this nagging feeling she was forgetting something. "Am I going to feel like this forever? Feeling like I've forgotten something?" Quistis asked him, looking at the few remaining boxes by the door.

"No, it'll be fine once we get to Deling, everything will be fine," Seifer said with a chuckle.

With the downfall of Caraway, the Esthar military had temporary control over the city. That was Seifer's position of command; he was going to move to Deling for a while to command the troops there until an election could be held to put a new President in power.

"Oh! I remember!" before Seifer could ask, she was gone down the hallway.

Seifer rolled his eyes, "Come on, babe! Let's go!"

"I forgot your present!"

At that, Seifer put down the boxes he was holding and watched for her to come back down the hallway. She appeared within seconds with a small box in her hands. She smiled as she handed it to Seifer who eagerly tore away the brightly colored paper and bow. When he reached the bare box he shook it, hoping to get a hint of what was inside.

"No, you'll never guess it, just open it," Quistis said, smiling at him warmly.

He removed the lid to find a small black and white photograph inside. Upon further inspection, he realized it was no ordinary picture but a sonogram picture. He looked up at Quistis, eyes wide.

"That third room has to be a nursery now," Quistis said quietly, waiting for the news to sink in thoroughly.

Seifer looked up at his future wife with the biggest smile she'd ever seen in her life, "I'm going to be a dad!" He scooped her up off of her feet and kissed her, "I can't believe it!"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again, "I love you baby."

"I love you, both of you."

_The End_


End file.
